I CARRY A NON TECHNICAL MEMORY DEVICE IN MY SHIRT POCKET

THIS RED WING BLACKBIRD IS CERTAINLY NOT WORRIED ABOUT GETTING COLD FEET TODAY
Turned out to be a cold, damp, drizzly, morning with wet snow lazily drifting out of the dark overcast sky for most of the afternoon.  Even the Mourning doves below were huddling together on our bird station mourning the death of our warm sunny month of April.

NAN'S comment question this morning was, 'by the way, how did you meet Kelly'. With that question in mind I spent some time plowing through my archives this morning looking for a post I'm sure I wrote about that awhile back.  With 1,868 posts behind me I have a bit of looking to do & when I find that post I will re-post it again.  Rummaging through my archives I did find a few other posts relating to our meeting back in the summer of 1993. One of those had to do with my 30 year habit of carrying a pen & notepad in my shirt pocket & how it almost tripped me up the first time I met Kelly. (been carrying my reminder notepads since 83 & met kelly in 93)  I have updated that post & here it is…………………..

EVEN AUNT JEAN’S RENTED SUBARU WAS LOOKING DEPRESSED ABOUT TODAY’S  WEATHER >>>
‘To do’ & ‘reminder lists’ have been an important part of my life for many years & without them I would probably just clank to a stop & cease to function. In 1983 I was alone at the end of a marriage & found myself in a position where I didn't know where or how to even pay a phone bill. I was surrounded by total confusion & had so many things on my plate all at once I was literally traveling in Merry-go-round circles. Only way off that whirly-gig was to grab me a notebook, a pen, & get myself organized as fast as possible. Had to start writing down everything I could think of so I wouldn't forget things. It was important for me to stabilize quickly & what better way than a daily listing of my current day's activities & things I had to remember for the future.  From that day to this very day I have always carried a small notebook & pen in my shirt pocket. 

NORMALLY THESE DARK EYED JUNCOS ARE HEADED NORTH BY NOW BUT NOT THIS YEAR
 
I write down everything like, get bananas, milk, celery or check oil in the Jeep or shoelaces for hiking boots. Clean living room windows, license tags this week, start motorhome generator, wash motorcycle, email to Blog reader, check the Santa Fe's tire pressures, etc. etc. etc. Everything goes into my book. Also in the back of my little book I have the license numbers of all the vehicles plus tire pressures for each one including the bicycles. Phone numbers in the back of the book as well including our own because that one seems the hardest to remember.   And despite today’s technologies I still find it much simpler to just pull the note book out of my pocket & jot a reminder down. No electronics to fire up, no batteries to recharge, no teensy weensy screens to look at, no itsy bitsy keys to punch, no scrolling or finger pecking menus,no apps, no confusion & no frustration. Takes about a second to write the word ‘milk’ in my book & I’m good to go to the grocery store:))

IT’S A DRAB GRAY DAY HERE IN OUR FRONT YARD…EXCEPT FOR THE YELLOW PLASTIC FLOWERS
 
PAIR OF CARDINALS & AM GUESSING THE FELLOW ON THE RIGHT AS A WHITE THROATED SPARROW

FEMALE CARDINAL
I've had many note books over the years with each one lasting maybe 6 to 12 months or more. Depends how often I am at writing things down as to how long I carry any one particular book. I get very irritable with myself if I forget something so it's imperative that I treat myself well by making sure everything is in the book.  But, it nearly tripped me up one day.
 <<< JUST ONE OF MY COUNTLESS LITTLE BLACK BOOKS THAT I HAVE CARRIED WITH ME FOR YEARS
As helpful as my little black book (yes, it's actually black) has been over the years it did very nearly cost me a second date with a very good looking blonde I had just met in a coffee shop one afternoon in Doon, Ontario. It was my first time meeting Kelly & I had pulled out all the stops. Wore my best used shirt & maybe even washed some mud off my Mazda truck.  Bought her a coffee as I recall.  After all I can be quite the big spender when I have to be.   My pen & notebook were securely in my pocket in case I had to jot anything down….like maybe a phone number:))  Everything went well (probably was the free coffee) & we agreed to meet again later in the week for a movie. It wasn't until a few years later that she told me when she came into the coffee shop that day & saw the pen & notebook in my pocket she had me pegged for a nerdy type guy & she definitely was not looking for a nerdy type. (good thing I had taken my glasses off & stuck them in my back pocket) Well, somehow me, my pen, & my notebook all survived the close coffee shop encounter that day & I have been a part of Kelly's life ever since & that's been just about 20 years now.   How's that for a happy ending to a story between a man, a good looking blonde, a pen, & a notebook................:))

GUESSING THIS FELLOW AS MAYBE BEING A SONG SPARROW >>>
GROANER’S CORNER:((  Half a dozen quotable quotes for the day
- Music is a picture painted on a background of silence...
- A discussion seeks what is right - an argument seeks who is right...
- The one rowing the boat is never the one who rocks it...
- He who fiddles around seldom gets to lead the orchestra...
- Never look down on anybody unless you're helping them up...
- The best way to appreciate your job is to imagine yourself without it...
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- Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.
- Home is where your pet is:))
- "If having a soul means being able to feel
love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals
are better off than a lot of humans."
(James Herriot)
- The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails -William Arthur Ward
- The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...AL.
- It is not so much having nothing to do as it is not having the interest to do something....AL.